Meet a Staff Member: Leticia Priebe Rocha

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to (re)introduce Leticia Priebe Rocha, a reader for Yellow Arrow publications. Leticia is a poet, visual artist, and editor. She is the author of In Lieu of Heartbreak, This is Like (Bottlecap Press, 2024). Leticia earned her bachelor’s from Tufts University, where she was awarded the 2020 Academy of American Poets University & College Poetry Prize. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, she immigrated to Miami, Florida, at the age of nine and currently resides in the Greater Boston area. Her work has been published in Salamander, Rattle, Pigeon Pages, Protean Magazine, and elsewhere. Leticia also served as guest editor for Yellow Arrow Journal’s EMBLAZON issue (fall 2023). For more information, visit her website at leticiaprieberocha.com.

It’s been a joy getting to know Leticia and working with her. She says, “I deeply value spaces like Yellow Arrow which prioritize uplifting underrepresented voices and empowering us to be heard. As a writer (and human!), I seek to align myself with publications that truly live their values. I have witnessed the staff embodying this at Yellow Arrow, and I have had nothing but good experiences as a submitter, contributor, and editor. I believe that this speaks to the tremendous dedication and care that Yellow Arrow has for this work. It has been a privilege to make contributions to their mission of uplifting women creatives and I am incredibly excited to continue to do so as a reader!”

Tell us a little something about yourself:

My first chapbook, In Lieu of Heartbreak, This is Like, (highlighted in Her View Friday!) was recently released with Bottlecap Press (2024). I have been writing poetry since I was in high school and fantasized about being a writer long before then. Having a poetry collection in print is a literal dream come true! Aside from writing and surrounding myself with as much poetry as possible, I also love collaging. Since I don’t have formal artistic training, I did not think of myself as a visual artist for a while, but I am leaning into that label now. Outside of my creative pursuits, I am really into film and television. I may have a slightly unhealthy obsession with mafia-related media, and I could talk about The Sopranos for hours!

What do you love most about where you live in Medford, Massachusetts?

I love how many opportunities for cultural engagement there are in the Greater Boston area. Poetry readings, museums and galleries, music shows—I am constantly surrounded by art, beauty, and community. It is such an expansive place to live!

How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow and why did you want to join the Yellow Arrow team?

I became involved with Yellow Arrow when my poem, “Lost In,” was published in Yellow Arrow Journal’s PEREGRINE issue (fall 2022). Later I served as guest editor for the EMBLAZON issue, which is how I became familiar with Yellow Arrow’s process for reviewing submissions. I greatly enjoyed reading submissions and collaborating with a team that invests great levels of care into every piece sent. I had such a wonderful experience that I applied to join the Yellow Arrow team as a reader!

What are you working on currently?

Now that my first chapbook has been published, I am finding ways to build my audience and share my work more broadly through readings, interviews, and being in community with writers. Writing-wise, I am exploring directions for a full-length manuscript and seeing where the poems take me.

What genre do you write or read the most and why?

Poetry. Even before poetry found me, I’ve always had the disposition of a poet, gifted in the art of observation. I love the possibilities that poetry opens up, its inherent subversiveness, it’s ability to dismantle language and experience, rebuild with love.

What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?

Diannely Antigua’s Ugly Music.

Who is your favorite writer and why?

Ocean Vuong. Whether he is writing poetry, fiction, or an Instagram caption, Ocean strings words together in a brilliant way, with utter clarity that illuminates what it means to be alive.

Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?

I was lucky enough to take poetry classes with Natalie Shapero while I studied at Tufts University. She fostered an incredibly nurturing workshop environment, helped me solidify my identity as a poet, and her lessons on craft hugely influence my work. I also feel immensely inspired by the writing community at MassPoetry, an organization that supports poets and poetry in Massachusetts.

What do you love most about writing? 

Writing has always been an outlet for untangling life’s messy and miraculous experiences. It has served me as a form of resistance and is always a labor of love.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Find ways to be in community with other writers, which is so vital to learning and growing as a writer. If you have something to say and feel the urge to write, you have to listen to that—listen to your intuition, keep going, no matter how many rejections come your way.

What’s the most important thing you always keep near your computer or wherever you work?

I keep a pile of poetry collections at hand so I can read poems outside of myself whenever I feel stuck with my own work.

What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2024?

Having laid such a steady and nourishing foundation, I envision Yellow Arrow increasing our reach. A wider reach in the creative world means amplifying more voices and consequently increasing our impact!

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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we AMPLIFY women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.